[ATTACH=JSON]{“data-align”:“none”,“data-size”:“large”,“data-attachmentid”:1116884}[/ATTACH] I’ve suspected this for a while, but I verified two weekends ago that the reason my hood doesn’t close flush with the headlights and bumper (there is around a 1/2 inch gap) is because of front end frame damage sustained from the vehicle bottoming out while driving (one particularly vicious intersection comes to mind). See photo below:
You can see the bent sections of the cross member. What’s the best DIY approach to fix this? Given how low DAs sit I doubt this is uncommon. I tried beating on the upper cross section (what the hood latch mechanism is mounted to) with a wooden 2x4 and a rubber mallet but after 5 minutes of hitting it, it hadn’t budged. Is it maybe possible to get the hood latch to lower back down to it’s proper location by taking the rubber mallet and wooden block to the lower cross member, the piece that actually is bent? I had considered that, though it looks like removal of the PS heat exchanger would be necessary to gain enough clearance.
If anyone has had to do this previously, I would appreciate your tips. Thanks!
